...Actually, one.I'm thinking of bringing a shovel so if I do get stuck in the soft, and it's looking to be a very soft year, I can at least move the soft stuff out from under my wheels.I've taken a look on ebay, and what seems to be on offer (that isn't for gardening, that is, more of the army lightweight stuff) looks flimsy...Should I buy somewhere else? What are they even made of these days, because if it's all plastic, I'm thinking it would be a waste of money...

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

Yep, a folding military shovel is a nice thing. .. and they (the one I own anyway) have the option of not only unfolding into a straight shovel, but you can fasten them into a halfway unfolded configuration whereby the blade is at a 90° angle to the handle so it effectively becomes a hoe. I'm thinking that it would be even more effective at scraping soft playa away from your wheels that way.

Another option to consider is a garden shovel (though the army surplus shovel could work). Doesn't scoop as much as a full size shovel, but stows much more easily and you should be able to get the job done (if it comes to that). Another thing you may want to think about are a couple boards or planks. A soft fluffy dune might be something you get stuck in, but toss down a plank for each wheel and you can roll on outta there. Maybe 2 pieces of a 1x6, only a couple feet long each?

Along with the shovels and hoes and a pieces of wood to stick under the wheels, a couple lengths of rubber mat, like entry-way rugs or no-nap runners, even the floor mats in the vehicle, can be laid out and tucked under the wheels in the direction your gonna roll, giving a bit of traction to overcome the dust dunes.

One night out in the Canyonlands of south Utah I spent an interesting evening with my stuck car, the deep sand, and a fry pan.

"If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others?"- Voltaire, Candide

Honestly, I would vote the rubber mat route. With a shovel or hoe you're going to have to move all the dunes in your way, with planks or rubber mats you just roll over it. While planks probably have the advantage for stability & traction, the rubber mats should give you a decent amount of traction while having the bonus of being able to be rolled up & tucked away when you don't need them. That means you can get a longer length without having as much hassle to transport it.

It's a camping trip in the desert, not the redemption of the fallen world - Cryptofishist

Lonesomebri wrote:... a couple lengths of rubber mat, like entry-way rugs or no-nap runners, even the floor mats in the vehicle, ...One night out in the Canyonlands of south Utah I spent an interesting evening with my stuck car, the deep sand, and a fry pan.

+ on the rubber mats

seen rubber mats/runners nailed or screwed to wood planks seen wood planks with screws in the bottomI haven't tried either

p.s. wood planks on snow can get launched up to 20 to 30 feet - don't catch them with your shins - can twist and catch you even if you're pushing from the centerfry pan works with snow too you really don't want to be standing behind when it gets flung out

Jar Jar Sith Lord.Odd. No bears in the dump. Oh well, lets go across the road & pick blueberries..... but don't harm the red dragon that frequents the area from time to time. He and I have an agreement.

I go to the desert a lot and deal with soft sand and here's a few things. First things first don't stop in the soft stuff, I know its not always possible just the easiest solution. Digging out soft sand doesn't really help unless there is hard terrain under it (within a few inches) Unless there is someone who can pull you out eventually powering through has just as much chance of getting you more stuck then getting you out, If you do get stuck a wood plank with studs of some sort for better grip is the best option. Last case scenario you can use the roadside tire change scissor jack ,almost everyone has one unless its been taken out (which is a bad idea), and jack up the stuck axle to either get something under the tire or you can set it so you can push the car and have the jack fall sideways and move the vehicle 6 or so inches.

Either way when I'm driving through the desert I usually have a shovel, tow rope, high lift jack and a 4 foot 4x6 with a couple of bolts through it for added traction. Only been once that I couldn't get myself out with that.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

You do realize that I'm talking about the wheelchair, not the van? I need something that I can carry with me and that which give me something to do until someone takes pity on me and pushes/pulls me out. Those moments of waiting are horrible. The helplessness is horrible. Bug on a pin... knot in the stomach just thinking about it...

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

theCryptofishist wrote:You do realize that I'm talking about the wheelchair, not the van? I need something that I can carry with me and that which give me something to do until someone takes pity on me and pushes/pulls me out. Those moments of waiting are horrible. The helplessness is horrible. Bug on a pin... knot in the stomach just thinking about it...

Nope, Silly me only skimmed the thread and thought we were talking about cars.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

One year, Dick was so gracious as to put down some carpet in my tent. Sadly, there weren't enough nails, so the carpet became a part of the problem--it bunched up under my wheels. I'm not certain that the matt solutions won't be a problem in the same way.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

i'm going to ask my coworker about this next week. He runs our home modification program and I'll see if he has any ideas or if there is anything in our work storage that I can bring out that might help you.

I also have a spare rug or 2 if that might help. I have a very low profile rug it is about 6' x 7'. Maybe we could cut it into 2 long pieces for you? We can seal the edges (by burning or with goopy glue)

I'm sort of having trouble envisioning the rolled up carpet thing. So, I snap it open and it rolls out evenly in the direction I want to go in? I'll tell you, in 08 or 09 I had some in my carport (thanks, Dick) and it wasn't sufficiently nailed down (thanks idiot that didn't listen to Dick) and it became part of the problem--no traction on carpet over loose dust. I was even wondering whether to ask if those welcome mats that are made of individual pieces of rubber (or something) joined by heavy wire or metal rods were what were meant...

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

the more I think about the rolled up carpet thing...Yeah it might not be viable but I'll bring it anyways. We can try it out if you'd like or maybe you can use it in a different way around camp. I've got room so it's no problem to bring